Colin Firth met with World Trade
Organization (WTO) Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi at WTO
headquarters in Geneva to discuss Oxfam's report "Kicking Down
the Door," which exposes how rich countries are forcing poor ones to
open their markets and dumping surplus crops, undermining the
livelihood of farmers in poorer nations. In addition, Firth presented
Oxfam's Big Noise petition of over 7 million names to make trade fair.
This campaign represents the voices of people
around the world who are calling on world leacers to change the rules
of international trade.

Asked why he had got involved, Firth told
reporters: "Because I'm part
of the problem really."

"I'm a middle class consumer in a rich country who is getting
gradually
uneasy about the way the trade rules are rigged in the world."

Supachai said he welcomed Oxfam's campaign.

"I have always said that we appreciate this tremendous effort by Oxfam,
of people like Colin Firth, to have undertaken this kind of exercise to
arouse the consciousness of the people that we have to do much, much
more to be able to address the interests of developing countries in
participating in this round," he said, referring to talks that have
been on and off since 2001. "I would like the campaign to be
successful."

[Click for larger image]

[From Jonathan Fowler (AP) and
others]

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